Scottish Executive

Airports

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, or plans to make, to the British Airports Authority and Scottish Airports Ltd regarding the economic impact of the level of landing charges at Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow Airports.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive and its agencies, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland, are in regular contact with Scottish Airports Ltd about a wide range of matters on the importance of transport for economic development.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training specific to autism and Asperger’s syndrome is currently available in the teacher training curriculum.

Nicol Stephen: Guidelines for initial teacher education courses in Scotland, which are in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 18071), require that courses prepare teachers entering the profession to be responsive to the needs of all pupils in respect of health and general well-being. The guidelines are not prescriptive and each training institution develops their own programme.

  Good practice guidance on the administration of medicine in schools, which is in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 15847), recommends that school staff should have general awareness training for a number of medical conditions.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what projects in respect of transition between (a) primary and secondary education and (b) secondary education and further education or employment have been set up since 1999 for those diagnosed with autism or Asperger’s syndrome in each local authority area.

Nicol Stephen: Details of local authority projects are not held centrally. However, the Scottish Executive’s Innovation Grants programme for voluntary and non-statutory organisations has funded several projects on various aspects of transition for young people with special educational needs, including Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

  In addition, in response to the Beattie Committee report, the Scottish Executive has made available additional resources of £22.6 million over the period 2001-04 to take forward action on inclusiveness. £15.1 million is available for the development of key worker support, improved identification of learning and support needs and tracking. Careers companies have developed, and are co-ordinating, multi-agency projects to improve transition for Scotland’s most vulnerable young people including those with Asperger’s Syndrome. In association with Career Development Edinburgh and Lothians, Stevenson College is undertaking a project which will research the needs of young people with Communication Impairment and Asperger’s Syndrome.

Bridges

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to remove the toll charges from the Erskine Bridge while the Clyde Tunnel is being repaired in January 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: None. A contraflow system will operate on the northbound Clyde tunnel during repairs to the south bound tunnel.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, or plans to make, to the board of management at Caledonian MacBrayne in relation to the current industrial dispute in the Clyde division, in particular to ascertain whether they have considered making any economies to their management operations, structure, directors’ bonuses and termination payments, and what plans it has to seek to make a ministerial statement on these matters.

Lewis Macdonald: I have no plans to make a statement on matters relating to the general management of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd.

  Scottish Executive officials kept in close touch with the company throughout the recent industrial dispute on the Clyde with the objective of ensuring that adequate lifeline ferry services were maintained. We also funded connecting bus services to help foot passengers use the sailings that the company continued to provide to Arran and Bute.

Central Heating

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average length of time elapses between (a) the submission of an application for, and (b) installation of, free central heating and insulation under its Central Heating Programme.

Iain Gray: For private sector households the average length of time is currently about eight weeks.

Central Heating

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18980 by Jackie Baillie on 23 November 2001, what the current estimate is of the number of local authority houses in Glasgow which will have central heating installed in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05.

Iain Gray: This depends on the outcome of the ballot on stock transfer. Regardless of the outcome of the ballot, we have said consistently that all local authority houses in Glasgow will receive central heating.

Central Heating

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what different options are available for local authority tenants having central heating installed under its Central Heating Programme and whether tenants can have central heating installed other than through a programme of works organised by their local authority.

Iain Gray: Local authorities run the Central Heating Programme for their tenants. They have been asked to offer a choice of heating system where it is reasonable and practicable to do so. Local authority tenants can only access the Central Heating Programme through their landlord. Local authorities also invest in central heating and other energy efficiency measures through their HRA capital programmes and so tenants can also benefit in this way.

Child Welfare

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to improve child protection.

Cathy Jamieson: We are always looking for ways to improve child protection. Current initiatives include the multi-disciplinary review of child protection which is due to report this summer and planned legislation to establish an index of persons unsuitable to work with children. We are also involved in the Government's UK-wide advertising campaign to protect children using the internet which was launched on 3 December last year.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been achieved by any Cabinet sub-committee dealing with children’s services.

Cathy Jamieson: The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Children’s Services met for the first time on Wednesday 19 December 2001, chaired by the First Minister. It discussed a range of issues relating to better integrated children’s services and child poverty and agreed key priorities for the next 12 months. These include data collection, integrated assessment of needs, and the further development of partnership relationships between local government, the National Health Service and the voluntary sector.

Children's Panels

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to support the recruitment of children’s panel members.

Cathy Jamieson: Each year, in consultation with key interests, the Scottish Executive plans and funds on a national and local press and radio recruitment campaign. This year, the Executive is also funding a series of national awareness-raising press supplements.

Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each of the last five years accepted the offer of a fiscal fine under section 302 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 and subsequently failed to make full payment of the fine.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Dental Care

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many elderly people in the Highland Council area have been unable to receive free NHS dental treatment in the past 12 months because of a lack of dental surgeons.

Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally. We are aware that there are access problems to NHS dentistry in Highland and will be meeting the Primary Care Trust to discuss the situation.

Drug Enforcement Agency

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police hours have been spent on secondment from the Dumfries and Galloway Police to the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not held centrally.

Drug Enforcement Agency

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations have been undertaken in Dumfries and Galloway by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: Since the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency was formally launched on 1 June 2000, it has been involved in five joint operations relating to serious crime with Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary.

Drug Enforcement Agency

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value of seizures made by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency in Dumfries and Galloway was at 30 November 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: Operations undertaken by the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency in the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary area have resulted in the seizure of controlled drugs with an estimated street value of just over £860,000.

Drug Misuse

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it has given to the voluntary sector for undertaking work with those suffering from drug addiction.

Dr Richard Simpson: The Executive values the contribution made by the voluntary sector to tackling Scotland’s drug problems. Our direct funding includes £1.5 million per annum for Scotland Against Drugs, £200,000 per annum for the Scottish Drugs Forum, and £27,000 per annum for Crew 2000.

  Our additional allocation of £128 million over three years, to support Scotland’s drug strategy, will help to fulfil our commitment to promote stable funding for the voluntary sector. It is enabling NHS Boards and local authorities to offer three-year funding to voluntary bodies which provide treatment and rehabilitation, and work with drug offenders.

Education

Ian Jenkins (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to maximise the participation of school pupils in the forthcoming debate on the future of school education.

Cathy Jamieson: We have written to a number of youth and children’s organisations, and to all Directors of Education, inviting them to help us gather the views of young people. We will also be using the "Re:action" Consultation Toolkit for children and young people, which we published in June 2001.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes will be made to the Higher Still English exam syllabus following consultations with parents and teachers.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21099 on 7 January 2002. I asked Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to implement the proposals in the NQTG review of this subject and SQA have now written to centres advising them of the changes.

Education

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school in the City of Edinburgh area with no qualifications in each year since 1997.

Nicol Stephen: The information requested is set out in the following table.

  

 

Leavers from Publicly Funded Schools 
  

Leavers from Independent Schools 
  

All School Leavers 
  



1997-98 
  

132 
  

12 
  

144 
  



1998-99 
  

151 
  

19 
  

170 
  



  It should be noted that included within these figures are any pupils who leave school with only GCSE and/or A level qualifications. Statistics on the attainment in these examinations is not held by the Scottish Executive. Data relating to 1999-2000 are not yet available.

Education

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school in the City of Edinburgh area with literacy or numeracy problems in each year since 1997.

Nicol Stephen: There is no standard definition of "literacy and numeracy problems". Information on those leaving publicly funded schools in the City of Edinburgh who had not attained Standard Grade Mathematics and Standard Grade English in academic sessions 1997-98 and 1998-99 is set out in the following table. Data relating to 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are not yet available.

  


Year 
  

Total number of leavers 
  

Percentage not attaining Standard Grade 
  Mathematics 
  

Percentage not attaining Standard Grade 
  English 
  



1997-98 
  

3,388 
  

10% 
  

10% 
  



1998-99 
  

3,408 
  

11% 
  

10% 
  



  Note: These figures do not include pupils who left school with only GCSE and/or A level qualifications, as attainment data from these examinations are not held by the Scottish Executive.

Enterprise

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that businesses in Edinburgh do not experience recruitment difficulties due to high housing costs.

Ms Margaret Curran: We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that higher than average housing costs are causing significant recruitment difficulties for businesses in Edinburgh. Living costs are only one factor which can cause recruitment difficulties. Skills shortages can also have a significant impact.

  Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian works in partnership with the business community to support the continued supply of skilled labour to meet company growth plans. This ranges from programmes of graduate recruitment and retention, to harnessing the potential of people currently outwith the labour market. Linking these people to known areas of demand from the private sector is a core task of programmes such as New Deal and Skillseekers.

  Communities Scotland offer a range of low cost home ownership schemes which provides affordable opportunities in owner occupation to meet local needs. In addition to this the City of Edinburgh Council have adopted an Affordable Housing Policy which proposes that a proportion of new homes within major development sites will be affordable.

Forestry

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money in the form of grants from the Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage has been paid to the owners of Glen Feshie Estate in the Cairngorms since 1967.

Allan Wilson: Scottish Natural Heritage, which was founded in 1992, and its predecessor bodies have not awarded any grants to the owners of Glenfeshie Estate.

  The Forestry Commission, whose records date back to 1976, has awarded grants as follows:

  


Year 
  

Total Paid
Per Year 
  



1976 
  

237.04 
  



1977 
  

237.04 
  



1978 
  

581.08 
  



1979 
  

2,441.08 
  



1980 
  

612.88 
  



1981 
  

2,132.48 
  



1982 
  

2,442.86 
  



1983 
  

2,442.86 
  



1984 
  

2,442.86 
  



1985 
  

2,442.86 
  



1986 
  

1,226.96 
  



1987 
  

10,502.48 
  



1988 
  

1,991.36 
  



1989 
  

2,408.00 
  



1997 
  

17,187.60 
  



1998 
  

13,000.38 
  



1999 
  

19,999.83 
  



2001 
  

139,390.40

Genetically Modified Crops

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the findings of the GM crop trials will be published.

Ross Finnie: The final crops of spring-sown GM varieties will be harvested in autumn 2002. Data from the three years of evaluations across the UK will be collated, analysed and published in 2003. The final autumn-sown varieties will be harvested in summer 2003 and these results will be published thereafter.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Grampian Health Board is unable to fund the use of all drugs which have been approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and what the reasons are for the board’s position on this matter.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive expects NHS Grampian to follow the guidance on drugs from the Health Technology Board for Scotland. The board also has to manage within the resources made available. The Executive is providing substantial funding to NHS Grampian as part of record investment in NHSScotland. Grampian’s general funding allocation for 2001-02 is over £453 million. The NHS Board has received an increase of £21.3 million (5.5%) compared with last year and in each of the next two years the increases will be at least 6.5% and 7.4%.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of setting up the new Scottish Health Council will be, whether the costs of running it will be greater than those for the existing system and what benefit it will have for patients.

Malcolm Chisholm: As indicated in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change and the recent publication Patient Focus and Public Involvement,  we will work with Health Councils, the Scottish Consumer Council and other key stakeholders to develop proposals for a national body with a local presence - the Scottish Health Council. It will not be possible to estimate the cost of setting up the new arrangements until the development work has been completed. However, we do not expect the cost of running it to be greater than that of the existing system.

  We plan to consult widely on the role of the new Scotland Health Council, which we see as having three main functions:

  to ensure that the voices of patients and the public are heard by NHSScotland bodies and that these services respond to these views;

  to develop good practice so that the public, patients and local communities are fully involved in all decisions affecting the delivery of health services, and

  to support patients, carers and the public develop the capacity to make their views known.

Hospitals

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to provide support for the community hospital network in the Grampian area and whether it will ensure that there will be no cutback in community hospital provision in rural areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is providing substantial resources to NHS Grampian as part of the record investment we are making in NHSScotland. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20849 for the details. The formula under which funding is allocated to NHS Boards takes full account of the extent to which the populations they serve are based in rural areas. It is for each board to determine how funding should be used to provide health services which best reflect local needs and priorities.

Housing

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it plans to take to ensure that there is an adequate supply of good quality affordable housing in Edinburgh.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to answer given to question S1W-20928 on 7 January 2002.

Housing

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public funding has been received by Scottish Homes in each year since 1999-2000.

Iain Gray: The public funding received by Scottish Homes in each year since 1999-2000 is as follows:

  


Year 
  

Public funding (£ million) 
  



1999-2000 
  

275.5 
  



2000-01 
  

315.4

Housing

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many performance audits were conducted by Scottish Homes in each year since 1999-2000.

Iain Gray: The number of performance audits carried out by Scottish Homes in each year since 1999-2000 is shown in the table:

  


Year 
  

Number of performance audits 
  



1999-2000 
  

79 
  



2000-01 
  

70

Housing

Mr John McAllion (Dundee East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many statutory inquiries have been conducted by Scottish Homes in each year since 1999-2000.

Iain Gray: None.

Justice

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been charged with litter offences over the last three years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons proceeded against in Scottish Courts where the main offence was a litter offence, 1998-2000

  


1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



 41 
  

 30 
  

 14

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many current warrants in respect of failure to appear were outstanding at Glasgow Sheriff Court at 31 October 2001 and what the corresponding figure was for 31 October 2000.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not readily available.

Justice

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each of the last five years, subsequent to any appearance at the district court in respect of non-payment of fiscal fines, have continued to fail to meet such obligations.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

Less Favoured Areas

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown by agricultural sector and land category of the payments to farmers and crofters in 2001 under the less favoured area scheme.

Ross Finnie: The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) is not sector specific. It involves, in the main, area payments to different land categories within the less favoured area in Scotland. Details of the distribution of payments by land category under LFASS 2001 are set out in the table.

  


Land Category 
  

LFASS 2001 
  



£ million 
  

% 
  



Moorland 
  

17.99 
  

29.7 
  



Northern Upland/Moorland 
  

3.66 
  

6.0 
  



Northern Upland 
  

7.86 
  

13.0 
  



Southern Upland /Moorland 
  

7.02 
  

11.6 
  



Southern Upland 
  

23.60 
  

38.9 
  



Others 1 
  

0.47 
  

0.8 
  



Scotland 
  

60.6 
  

100.0 
  



  Although there are only three land classes, some farm businesses encompass a mix of land classes, hence Northern Upland/Moorland and Southern Upland/Moorland appear in the table above. Values for Southern Upland/Northern Upland and Southern Upland/Northern Upland/Moorland farms are not shown separately because of the small number of farms in these mixed land class categories.

Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to amend the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 so that licensed premises and the licensee are covered by separate three-year licences.

Mr Jim Wallace: We have put in place an independent committee, led by Sheriff Principal Nicholson, to carry out a fundamental review of Scotland’s liquor licensing law and practice. The committee has received submissions on this issue. The committee is expected to report early in 2003 and we await its recommendations.

Local Government

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last contacted Scottish Borders Council and what issues were discussed.

Peter Peacock: There have been a number of recent contacts with Scottish Borders Council on matters of mutual interest.

Police

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what training in dealing with people with autistic spectrum disorder is given to police officers.

Dr Richard Simpson: Training dealing specifically with autistic spectrum disorder is not provided for police officers. General awareness of the need to deal sensitively with people who may have special needs will, however, be addressed through the new National Equal Opportunity Training Strategy which is presently being rolled out at the Scottish Police College.

Police

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many search warrants were issued to Dumfries and Galloway Police in each month from 1 January 2000 to 30 November 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: The following table gives details of search warrants issued to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary during the period July 2000 to November 2001. Figures prior to July 2000 are not available as they were not held centrally.

  


Month 
  

Number of Warrants Issued 
  



2000 
  



July 
  

7 
  



August 
  

7 
  



September 
  

8 
  



October 
  

8 
  



November 
  

19 
  



December 
  

16 
  



2001 
  



January 
  

17 
  



February 
  

17 
  



March 
  

17 
  



April 
  

28 
  



May 
  

6 
  



June 
  

18 
  



July 
  

6 
  



August 
  

6 
  



September 
  

7 
  



October 
  

13 
  



November 
  

11

Rail Network

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding being made available by Railtrack for the Forth Rail Bridge will be honoured by Railtrack or any successor body and what plans it has to ensure the safe upkeep of the bridge.

Lewis Macdonald: I understand that maintenance of the Forth Rail Bridge will not be affected by Railtrack Plc's being in administration.

Rail Network

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary question to question S1O-4290 by Lewis Macdonald on 13 December 2001, what progress is being made in discussions with Railtrack regarding its decision of 5 December 2001 not to support four Scottish Executive-funded rail enhancement projects.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has had a number of useful discussions with Railtrack and the administrators about a wide range of issues, including the Scottish rail enhancement projects. Further meetings are planned.

Renewable Energy

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the current planning regulations for the location of wind farms so that the regulations take account of their proximity to inhabited areas and the possible environmental sustainability of such developments.

Ms Margaret Curran: There are no separate planning regulations for wind farm developments. Guidance on such proposals is contained in National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 6 : Renewable Energy Developments.  We have no current plans to review NPPG 6 which was published in November 2000. A copy of NPPG 6 is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 18113). A revised Planning Advice Note (PAN) 45: Renewable Energy Technologies will be published shortly. PAN 45 will complement the policy framework set out in NPPG 6 by providing advice on good practice and other relevant information.

Schools

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) financial and (b) non-financial support it has provided in each of the last five years for the training of members of school boards.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive does not provide direct financial support for the training of school board members. Such training is generally supported from school board budgets provided by education authorities, or direct from education authorities' own budgets.

  The Scottish Executive has, however, provided funding to the Scottish School Board Association (SSBA) to develop training courses for school board members as follows:

  


2001 
  

- 
  



2000 
  

£17,925 
  



1999 
  

£3,108 
  



1998 
  

£5,772 
  



1997 
  

£7,336 
  



  The Scottish Executive has also provided the following non-financial support in each of the last five years for the training of school board members:

  Regular telephone advice to school board members and others on school boards legislation.

  Guidance on various aspects of school board legislation and operation in the form of 16 Focus Papers, which are available from the Parent Zone website (www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/parentzone) or from the Scottish Executive free of charge.

  Advice and editorial assistance on the development of the training course materials funded by the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authority by-elections can be held within the six-month period leading up to the scheduled local government elections in May 2002, and what implications there may be for the timing of local authority by-elections over the next two years should the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill be enacted.

Peter Peacock: The general rule is that local authority by-elections cannot be held within the six-month period leading up to scheduled local government elections. This is in accordance with the current law as provided in section 37 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. In terms of section 37(2), where a vacancy in the office of councillor occurs within six months before the date of the next local government elections, a by-election should not be held but instead the vacancy should be filled at the next elections. This rule is subject to an exception if the total number of vacancies exceeds a third of the number of members. Therefore (subject to this exception) local authority by-elections cannot be held in the six-month period leading up to the local government elections currently scheduled for May 2002.

  On the enactment of the provisions of the Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill, the local government elections scheduled for May 2002 will not take place. Section 2A(1) of the bill makes provision for any vacancies which would otherwise have been filled at the May 2002 elections by providing that an election to fill such a vacancy must be held within three months of the date on which the bill's provisions come in to force.

  As regards vacancies occurring after the date on which the act comes in to force, these will be filled in accordance with section 37 of the 1973 Act as amended by the bill. This means that a by election must be held within three months of the vacancy occurring unless it occurs within six months of the date of the next local government elections in which case the vacancy can be filled at those elections.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Dennis Canavan (Falkirk West): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to wind up the Scottish Transport Group pension funds.

Lewis Macdonald: The wind-up of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes is entirely a matter for the schemes' trustees.

Scottish Water

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why no-one in north east Scotland has been nominated to sit on the board of Scottish Water.

Ross Finnie: The selection of the prospective non-executive and executive board members of Scottish Water was based solely on the skills and abilities displayed by candidates in open and fair competitions. Geographical representation did not play a part in the selection criteria.

Scottish Water

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how the board of the proposed Scottish Water will report to the Parliament, ministers and the general public.

Ross Finnie: Section 50 of the Water Industry (Scotland) Bill requires Scottish Water to publish an annual and half-yearly report, and send copies of these reports to Scottish ministers and the Scottish Parliament. Directions under section 49 of the Bill will impose further public accountability requirements on Scottish Water. Initial drafts of these Directions have been submitted to the Transport and Environment Committee.

Social Inclusion Partnerships

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list capital and revenue allocations to each social inclusion partnership area in real terms for each year since the partnerships were established to 2002-03 and how much of the expenditure allocated to each partnership has been spent in each of these years to date.

The Executive has provided a corrected table; see further answer on 27 August 2002

Ms Margaret Curran: Allocations and expenditure for 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03 (allocations only), for the 48 Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIP), are shown in the tables, all expressed in 2000-01 real terms. From 2001-02 there is no capital/revenue split.

  Table 1

  


Council 
  

SIP 
  

1999-2000
Capital Allocation
(£000) 
  

Expenditure
(£000) 
  

Revenue Allocation
(£000) 
  

Expenditure
(£000) 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

Great Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

824 
  

618 
  



Angus 
  

Arbroath 
  

0 
  

0 
  

143 
  

107 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

Argyll & Bute 
  

44 
  

33 
  

166 
  

123 
  



Clack'shire 
  

Alloa S & E 
  

216 
  

151 
  

548 
  

411 
  



Dundee 
  

Dundee 1 
  

178 
  

131 
  

2,379 
  

1,774 
  



Dundee 2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

806 
  

611 
  



Xplore 
  

76 
  

53 
  

229 
  

86 
  



Young Carers 
  

10 
  

4 
  

47 
  

14 
  



E. Ayrshire 
  

E. Ayr Coalfields 
  

259 
  

192 
  

496 
  

338 
  



E. Lothian 
  

Tranent 
  

0 
  

0 
  

96 
  

71 
  



E. Renfrewshire 
  

Levern Valley 
  

102 
  

67 
  

339 
  

255 
  



Edinburgh 
  

Craigmillar 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1,754 
  

1,200 
  



Strategic Prog. 
  

25 
  

19 
  

1,174 
  

820 
  



Edinburgh Youth 
  

20 
  

15 
  

187 
  

124 
  



North Edinburgh 
  

632 
  

474 
  

2,297 
  

1,687 
  



South Edinburgh 
  

255 
  

12 
  

499 
  

375 
  



Fife 
  

Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

765 
  

550 
  



Frae Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

96 
  

43 
  



Falkirk 
  

Falkirk 
  

0 
  

0 
  

560 
  

420 
  



Glasgow 
  

Drumchapel 
  

1,145 
  

735 
  

764 
  

478 
  



GARA 
  

92 
  

31 
  

512 
  

325 
  



Big Step 
  

96 
  

0 
  

288 
  

66 
  



East End 
  

633 
  

475 
  

2,217 
  

1,558 
  



North Glasgow 
  

47 
  

34 
  

3,313 
  

2,441 
  



Smaller Areas 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1,119 
  

837 
  



Routes Out 
  

48 
  

0 
  

144 
  

50 
  



Gorbals 
  

356 
  

228 
  

216 
  

162 
  



Gt'r Easterhouse 
  

611 
  

457 
  

2,851 
  

2,122 
  



Greater Govan 
  

228 
  

170 
  

154 
  

97 
  



Greater Pollok 
  

1,018 
  

764 
  

737 
  

536 
  



Milton 
  

90 
  

77 
  

114 
  

72 
  



Springburn 
  

148 
  

111 
  

60 
  

40 
  



Highland 
  

Highland 
  

214 
  

94 
  

400 
  

273 
  



Inverclyde 
  

Inverclyde 
  

468 
  

347 
  

2,584 
  

1,937 
  



Moray 
  

Youth Start 
  

100 
  

71 
  

332 
  

248 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

North Ayrshire 
  

102 
  

76 
  

688 
  

528 
  



N.Lanarkshire 
  

Motherwell North 
  

153 
  

79 
  

1,405 
  

936 
  



N'Lanarkshire 
  

51 
  

38 
  

815 
  

579 
  



S' Coatbridge 
  

0 
  

0 
  

255 
  

160 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

GO 
  

0 
  

0 
  

130 
  

37 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

Paisley 
  

108 
  

80 
  

2,927 
  

2,019 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

Scottish Borders 
  

0 
  

0 
  

219 
  

118 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

Girvan 
  

127 
  

79 
  

193 
  

142 
  



North Ayr 
  

382 
  

286 
  

1,154 
  

799 
  



S. Lanarkshire 
  

Blantyre/N. H'ton 
  

204 
  

151 
  

305 
  

229 
  



Cambuslang 
  

204 
  

153 
  

407 
  

303 
  



Stirling 
  

SPUR 
  

51 
  

39 
  

543 
  

406 
  



W.Dunbartonshire 
  

W.Dunbart'shire 
  

509 
  

366 
  

1,724 
  

1,293 
  



W. Lothian 
  

W. Lothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

191 
  

130 
  



Total 
  

9,002 
  

6,092 
  

40,166 
  

28,548 
  



  Table 2

  


Council 
  

SIP 
  

1999-2000
Capital Allocation
(£000) 
  

Expenditure
(£000) 
  

Revenue Allocation
(£000) 
  

Expenditure
(£000) 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

Great Northern 
  

0 
  

0 
  

844 
  

844 
  



Angus 
  

Arbroath 
  

Finished 
  
 
 
 



Argyll & Bute 
  

Argyll & Bute 
  

60 
  

41 
  

220 
  

220 
  



Clack'shire 
  

Alloa S & E 
  

325 
  

324 
  

692 
  

691 
  



Dundee 
  

Dundee 1 
  

100 
  

100 
  

2,019 
  

2,006 
  



Dundee 2 
  

0 
  

0 
  

453 
  

448 
  



Xplore 
  

15 
  

15 
  

485 
  

255 
  



Young Carers 
  

5 
  

5 
  

100 
  

96 
  



E. Ayrshire 
  

E. Ayr Coalfields 
  

79 
  

79 
  

963 
  

963 
  



E. Lothian 
  

Tranent 
  

0 
  

0 
  

128 
  

128 
  



E. Renfrewshire 
  

Levern Valley 
  

100 
  

62 
  

346 
  

346 
  



Edinburgh 
  

Craigmillar 
  

93 
  

91 
  

1,663 
  

1,641 
  



Strategic Prog. 
  

25 
  

21 
  

525 
  

516 
  



Edinburgh Youth 
  

7 
  

7 
  

560 
  

555 
  



North Edinburgh 
  

460 
  

456 
  

2,130 
  

2,100 
  



South Edinburgh 
  

258 
  

258 
  

733 
  

703 
  



Fife 
  

Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

630 
  

630 
  


 

Frae Fife 
  

0 
  

0 
  

165 
  

154 
  



Falkirk 
  

Falkirk 
  

0 
  

0 
  

579 
  

579 
  



Glasgow 
  

Drumchapel 
  

845 
  

392 
  

1,910 
  

1,773 
  



GARA 
  

0 
  

0 
  

781 
  

757 
  



Big Step 
  

209 
  

183 
  

513 
  

382 
  



East End 
  

682 
  

653 
  

2,186 
  

1,754 
  



North Glasgow 
  

17 
  

14 
  

2,971 
  

2,971 
  



Smaller Areas 
  

5 
  

5 
  

1,128 
  

720 
  



Routes Out 
  

40 
  

40 
  

313 
  

283 
  



Gorbals 
  

187 
  

187 
  

577 
  

544 
  



Gt'r Easterhouse 
  

350 
  

345 
  

3,141 
  

2,372 
  



Greater Govan 
  

149 
  

127 
  

360 
  

346 
  



Greater Pollok 
  

1,099 
  

891 
  

1,244 
  

1,029 
  



Milton 
  

200 
  

94 
  

564 
  

474 
  



Springburn 
  

20 
  

20 
  

744 
  

698 
  



Highland 
  

Highland 
  

210 
  

168 
  

677 
  

642 
  



Inverclyde 
  

Inverclyde 
  

465 
  

465 
  

1,956 
  

1,953 
  



Moray 
  

Youth Start 
  

140 
  

140 
  

436 
  

436 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

North Ayrshire 
  

100 
  

100 
  

630 
  

630 
  



N.Lanarkshire 
  

Motherwell North 
  

50 
  

50 
  

1,580 
  

1,484 
  



N'Lanarkshire 
  

0 
  

0 
  

886 
  

854 
  



S' Coatbridge 
  

50 
  

46 
  

666 
  

560 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

GO 
  

14 
  

0 
  

181 
  

169 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

Paisley 
  

115 
  

90 
  

2,832 
  

2,658 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

Scottish Borders 
  

116 
  

0 
  

235 
  

227 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

Girvan 
  

132 
  

129 
  

296 
  

288 
  



North Ayr 
  

263 
  

263 
  

1,283 
  

1,283 
  



S. Lanarkshire 
  

Blantyre/N. H'ton 
  

250 
  

250 
  

769 
  

769 
  



Cambuslang 
  

222 
  

199 
  

425 
  

394 
  



Stirling 
  

SPUR 
  

50 
  

48 
  

476 
  

469 
  



W.Dunbartonshire 
  

W.Dunbart'shire 
  

520 
  

519 
  

1,567 
  

1,567 
  



W. Lothian 
  

W. Lothian 
  

0 
  

0 
  

256 
  

254 
  



Total 
  

8,027 
  

6,877 
  

44,818 
  

41,615 
  



  Table 3

  


Council 
  

SIP 
  

2001-02
Allocation
(£000) 
  

Expenditure*
(£000) 
  

2002-03
Indicative Allocation
(£000) 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

Great Northern 
  

978 
  

367 
  

977 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

Argyll & Bute 
  

475 
  

38 
  

461 
  



Clack'shire 
  

Alloa S & E 
  

1,140 
  

423 
  

896 
  



Dundee 
  

Dundee 1 
  

2,221 
  

977 
  

2,234 
  



Dundee 2 
  

466 
  

153 
  

406 
  



Xplore 
  

578 
  

169 
  

465 
  



Young Carers 
  

160 
  

35 
  

159 
  



E. Ayrshire 
  

E. Ayr Coalfields 
  

1,460 
  

636 
  

1,765 
  



E. Lothian 
  

Tranent 
  

211 
  

47 
  

209 
  



E. Renfrewshire 
  

Levern Valley 
  

511 
  

220 
  

416 
  



Edinburgh 
  

Craigmillar 
  

1,870 
  

379 
  

1,876 
  



Strategic Prog. 
  

575 
  

126 
  

498 
  



Edinburgh Youth 
  

560 
  

117 
  

617 
  



North Edinburgh 
  

2,489 
  

457 
  

2,495 
  



South Edinburgh 
  

1,199 
  

126 
  

1,521 
  



Fife 
  

Fife 
  

684 
  

307 
  

593 
  



Frae Fife 
  

186 
  

67 
  

185 
  



Falkirk 
  

Falkirk 
  

630 
  

342 
  

507 
  



Glasgow 
  

Drumchapel 
  

2,789 
  

884 
  

2,709 
  



GARA 
  

822 
  

278 
  

796 
  



Big Step 
  

634 
  

220 
  

513 
  



East End 
  

3,045 
  

1,096 
  

3,057 
  



North Glasgow 
  

3,177 
  

1,614 
  

3,188 
  



Smaller Areas 
  

1,832 
  

48 
  

1,747 
  



Routes Out 
  

377 
  

72 
  

314 
  



Gorbals 
  

848 
  

255 
  

857 
  



Gt'r Easterhouse 
  

3,663 
  

1,304 
  

3,659 
  



Greater Govan 
  

982 
  

333 
  

1,286 
  



Greater Pollok 
  

3,072 
  

9 
  

3,092 
  



Milton 
  

1,036 
  

266 
  

857 
  



Springburn 
  

916 
  

350 
  

901 
  



Highland 
  

Highland 
  

928 
  

267 
  

853 
  



Inverclyde 
  

Inverclyde 
  

2,589 
  

1,011 
  

2,582 
  



Moray 
  

Youth Start 
  

495 
  

121 
  

493 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

North Ayrshire 
  

783 
  

33 
  

646 
  



N.Lanarkshire 
  

Motherwell North 
  

1,857 
  

450 
  

1,790 
  



N'Lanarkshire 
  

940 
  

221 
  

775 
  



S' Coatbridge 
  

832 
  

177 
  

772 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

GO 
  

281 
  

76 
  

253 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

Paisley 
  

2,912 
  

1,068 
  

3,078 
  



Scottish Borders 
  

Scottish Borders 
  

304 
  

112 
  

297 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

Girvan 
  

443 
  

158 
  

495 
  



North Ayr 
  

1,667 
  

540 
  

1,672 
  



S. Lanarkshire 
  

Blantyre/N. H'ton 
  

2,173 
  

950 
  

3,082 
  



Cambuslang 
  

674 
  

188 
  

543 
  



Stirling 
  

SPUR 
  

577 
  

121 
  

468 
  



W.Dunbartonshire 
  

W.Dunbart'shire 
  

2,301 
  

834 
  

2,299 
  



W. Lothian 
  

W. Lothian 
  

262 
  

85 
  

261 
  



Total 
  

59,604 
  

18,127 
  

59,615 
  



  Note:

  *Payments made to 30 September 2001.

  The Executive has provided a corrected table; see further answer on 27 August 2002

Sport

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any representations have been made to it on funding a 50 metre swimming pool in either Aberdeen or Dundee and, if so, what response it has given, or plans to give, to such representations.

Mike Watson: The City of Aberdeen and Dundee City Councils held preliminary discussions with  sportscotland and Scottish Swimming about 50 metre swimming pools.  sportscotland has not received any funding applications for any such proposals.

Tourism

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any guidelines or directions it has issued to VisitScotland on how it should use its marketing budget.

Mike Watson: Ministers have not issued any such guidelines or directions. This is an operational matter for the VisitScotland Board.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it and VisitScotland have given to the effect on tourism and the economy of the level of landing charges on air links to and from Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with VisitScotland about a wide range of matters including the effect of air transport on tourism and the economy.

Tourism

Alex Fergusson (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for match funding have been made by Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board to it, Scottish Enterprise and other agencies; how many applications were successful; how many applications were unsuccessful, and whether it will detail the reasons why applications were unsuccessful.

Mr Andy Kerr: Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board (DGTB) have, to date, put forward five applications for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the South of Scotland Objective 2 2000-06 Programme.

  Of the five applications, three were submitted to the first round call for applications, at a time when the Area Tourism Strategy had not been finalised. members of the Advisory Group, who make recommendations on whether projects should receive ERDF support, highlighted a number of areas where the projects could be strengthened, including the importance of having the Area Tourism Strategy in place before awarding the projects support. Therefore, the projects were not approved for support during the first round. However, it was made clear to Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board that strengthened, more strategic applications, based on those put forward to the first round, would be welcomed in the second round, to fit with the Area Tourism Strategy .

  Dumfries and Galloway Tourist Board accordingly resubmitted two applications to the second round, which were strategic in nature. These projects were approved for ERDF support totalling £1.24 million.

  No applications were received from DGTB in the third round.

Transport

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish the transport delivery plan for Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: We are reviewing the draft report and plan to publish shortly.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty’s Government to seek an allocation for spending on transport initiatives in Scotland from the sale of registration plates and numbers and, if so, whether any allocations have been made and for what amounts.

Lewis Macdonald: No.

Vaccinations

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Executive’s plans are for children whose parents have decided that they will not receive the combined MMR vaccination.

Mr Jack McConnell: The Executive accepts that expert medical advice, both here and internationally, confirms that MMR remains the safest and most effective way to protect children from these very serious, and potentially fatal diseases. We have no plans to change the current immunisation programme. That is wholly consistent with the conclusions of the Health and Community Care Committee's report on the MMR vaccine, which was published last March.

Young People

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-18493 and S1W-18494 by Nicol Stephen on 22 November 2001, how the national framework for tackling youth crime will relate to the "Action Programme" referred to by the Minister for Education and Young People on 6 December 2001 ( Official Report , Col. 4635).

Cathy Jamieson: The Action Programme provides a national framework for priority action over the coming year. It will cover the development of national objectives, standards and measures for youth justice practitioners and outcome measures for programmes.

Young People

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answers to questions S1W-18493 and S1W-18494 by Nicol Stephen on 22 November 2001 and to the Action Programme on the youth justice system referred to by the Minister for Education and Young People on 6 December 2001(Official Report, Col. 4635), how the Action Programme and the recommendations made by the Report of the Advisory Group on Youth Crime will be (a) co-ordinated, (b) progressed and (c) funded.

Cathy Jamieson: The Action Programme will be co-ordinated and progressed by the Scottish Executive with the help of a multi-agency Youth Justice Steering Group. A three-year £23.5 million investment was made in early 2001 to implement the recommendations by the Youth Crime Advisory Group. The need for any additional funding will be kept under review.